All applicants will need to provide the details of two referees who can provide academic references written in English. Your application will not be considered until both these references have been received. If the references are not received by the course deadline, your application will be withdrawn.

Check that you have the correct email addresses for your referees and that your referees are happy and able to provide a reference for you. Institutional email addresses are preferred. Other email addresses can be used, and are sufficient at the application stage, but we would need to take extra steps to verify such references when we make an offer. This might include asking for the reference to be sent again, on paper, if authenticity cannot be confirmed by other means.

When you are completing the online application form you will be asked to provide details of your referees, including their email addresses. A reference request can then be sent from the online application form to your referees. References are then submitted by the referees via our online Referee Portal, and you will be notified when they have been submitted. You can also send reminders to your referees via the online application form.

References must be submitted alongside your application form.

If you do not have an email address for your referee, please follow the instructions below for submitting the reference on paper.

The Graduate Admissions Office are not able to:

accept references sent by email either from the applicant or directly from the referee;

use references from any previous application that you have made; or

send reminders to referees, or contact them to chase outstanding references (you can do this yourself via the online application form).

Who should you nominate as an academic referee?

You

Your First Referee

Your Second Referee

Are currently studying (or have recently finished studying) at undergraduate level

A tutor from your undergraduate degree course

A second tutor from your undergraduate degree course

Are currently studying (or have recently finished studying) at postgraduate level

A member of academic staff from your most recent higher education course

Your employer or another person who can testify to your academic ability in a formal context

Submitting a reference on paper

If you do not have an email address for your referee, or your referee is unable to use the Electronic Reference System, please follow the steps below:

Download the Academic Reference Instruction Form (available in either PDF or Word format)

Fill in Part I of the form, with your name as used in your application and your email address, and if the application has been submitted, the application number provided to you in your Applicant Portal

Give the form to your referee

The referee must then send the documents as a package:

their reference on headed notepaper with an original signature (we cannot accept electronic or scanned signatures)

the completed form

The referee should send these in a sealed envelope, with their name signed across the seal, to the address given at the bottom of the form

Please note that if the form is not included with the reference we may have trouble matching it with your application.